Online Resource: NOAA Tsunami Workshop

US Tsunami Warning System website

What:  Workshop on the basics of earthquakes, plate tectonics, tsunami formation, tsunami safety, and emergency preparedness
Who: Middle and high school 

 After our positive experience with NOAA's Junior Hydrologist program, we were pleased to find another online workshop, this time with the US Tsunami Center. The coordinator gave us an option to have a presentation for 7th-9th graders, or younger and we opted for the former.

Our presenter went over the causes of tsunamis - the large majority (80%)  are caused by tectonic plates movement, but we were surprised to learn about meteotsunamis - even areas away from tectonic plate boundaries can experience tsunamis (though rare).

We also learned about a history of tsunamis - we have records dating a century or so back, but mankind has known of tsunamis based on stories that have passed down. Unfortunately, this knowledge can be lost, such as in the Dec 2004 tsunami - it was doubly tragic as many people were on vacation, and did not know the signs (e.g. tide receding rapidly) and instead ventured out in curiosity. As a result of that tragedy, the US Tsunami Warning Center switched to 24h operation and several countries now collaborate on a global tsunami warning system. 

Among the science facts that surprised us - tsunamis actually slow down as they approach shore. However, the column of water gets higher. The important thing is to learn the signs and respond accordingly - alerts are good, but recognizing the signs gives you more time to head inland 1 mile or go uphill.

Picture from NOAA's Science of Tsunamis

Our presenter covered her slide deck, and left time for questions. What followed next was 30 minutes of inquiry: Have you seen a tsunami? Which was the oldest tsunami? Biggest? Even we parents had an opportunity to ask questions (how is it the 2004 tsunami hit both sides of an island? Answer: wave reflection). It was clear our presenter was well versed with the science and history - several times, she drew out pictures from other slide decks, including data from Deep Ocean Access and Reporting Tsunamis (DART) buoys used in tsunami detection. 

At the end of the hour, we thanked our presenter. Living in the Bay Area, we have a vested interest in learning about tsunamis. The NOAA presentation allowed our students to learn in a helpful (as opposed to fearful) way: understanding the science, and learning how to react to it. We are thankful for NOAA making science accessible to homeschoolers like us, and see a glimpse of our Creator's power. 

Ps 42:7a  Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls.

Local Resource: BioCompass Kids (Microscopy Technical)

 

After our last workshop with BioCompass Kids, we were excited to hear that they had developed a new technical workshop. This one would be based on microscopy and histology (the study of tissues), and how they are used to study neurological disease. The workshop was still 4 hours, but class size was capped at 8 students. Recommended age is 9+ years, with an understanding of animal cells. 

As before, Drs. Aarron and Natalia had set up the workspace full of interesting tools. We started off with a overview of safety protocols. Dr. Aarron reviewed the safety data sheet for chemicals we would be encountering, e.g.  PBS (phosphate buffer saline solution). 

He also introduced how to use the pipette - this version was different from the ones that commonly come in our lab kits because it had stops. We learned best practices such as: always put a pipette with tip down to avoid contamination and eject its contents slowly to avoid air bubbles.

We then proceeded with the first experiment: staining mouse brain cells. The doctors had already pre-sliced cells using a vibratome, which they had brought to demonstrate. Microscope slices need to be thin so light can go through. One technique is via freezing tissue, but it is not always an option. The vibratome vibrates, sliding the specimen forward, before slicing it with a sharp blade. Students learned how to pick up the paper-thin slices using the flattened brush heads.

Following which was a multi-step process - the cells had to be washed of fixative (so the methylene blue would stick), then washed again of excess methylene. During each wash, they discussed cells, e.g. how it is the building block/smallest living unit of life, how there are many types of cells in the body, and why methylene blue sticks to the nucleus (the nucleus is negatively charged, which attracts it most).

During break. Dr. Natalia helped to mount the slices onto slides. While waiting, they played a neuropathology game.  There were two boards - one with symptom descriptions, another one with a picture of the brain. Pairs of cards were distributed - one of a healthy cell, another diseased. Students compared the structural changes (morphological differences), then went to the symptom board to read and then try to pinpoint in the brain where the disease occurred. Examples included Multiple Sclerosis (cells display loss of myelin) and schizophrenia (inflammation with increased micro-ganglia).

Finally, each student got to view the slide they had stained and compare it against a reference picture to figure out which slice of the brain they had been given. 

As before, we are truly thankful for this opportunity to learn hands-on science. Drs. Aarron and Natalia had explained that they designed the lab so students would get to try things they wouldn't elsewhere - they succeeded and more. We continue to recommend their programs to other homeschoolers and look forward to new workshops!

Online Resource: NOAA's Junior Hydrologist Program

Slide from Junior Hydrologist presentation

Who: 7th grade and up

What: Interactive, online presentations on hydrology topics

Recently, we requested a series of hydrology workshops under NOAA's Junior Hydrologist Program - the topics we selected were Water Cycle, River Transportation, Flooding and Hydro Hot Seat. 

Each session was an hour, and a professional hydrologist from NOAA did each presentation. The best part (in our view) of these presentations was the ability to ask a professional our questions - they did a great job pulling out key ideas in their presentation, and adding on examples from their work. Our students were also exposed to geography concepts across the US - we had hydrologists from the Midwest and Southeast, and the challenges in each area are different.  

Our final workshop was the Hydro Hot Seat presentation - where we would learn about the science of river forecasting, and predict if/when there would be a flood. During this presentation, we were given data (e.g. from radar readings), and students volunteered to explain their reasoning as to which model would best fit the scenario. Our presenter was impressed by the stream of students eager to explain their work, and chuckled that we have a batch of hydrologists ready to go! 

We are thankful to NOAA and NWS for making this opportunity freely available, and recommend it to other homeschooling groups. It was easy to schedule the workshops (request online via the link above), and this is a great supplement for earth and general science 

PS: For an additional citizen science/hands-on activity, our presenter suggested requesting a rain gauge from CoCoRaHS and helping to form a picture of precipitation across the US! 

Holy Week/Easter 2026

As we prepare for Passion Week, we would like to share some resources that HEART members have recommended.

Devotionals

Lithos Kids is offering their 2026 Easter Guide for free. You will need the Kingdom of God Bible Storybook - New Testament, but they have the audiobook version available for free on their website as well. A couple other audiobooks can also be downloaded for free. We love their Little Pilgrim’s Big Journey and their Bible storybooks.

Holy Week

• Hamilton Square Church in San Francisco will host special services from Monday to Friday at 7pm. 
• Peninsula Covenant Church in Redwood City will host a Jews for Jesus’ presentation of the Last Supper on Thursday (April 2) 6:45pm. 

Good Friday Services (4/3/26)

• First Baptist Church of San Bruno will hold a service at 6pm.
• Gateway Christian Church of Daly City will hold a service at 7pm.
• Grace Bible Church in Redwood City will hold a service at 6pm.
• Peninsula Covenant Church in Redwood City will host a contemplative service at 6:45pm
• Radiance Church and Good Tidings of San Francisco will hold a joint service at 6pm.
• Redemption Church of San Francisco will hold a service at 6pm.
• Sunset Life of San Francisco will hold a service at 7:30pm

Easter Outreach/Services (4/5/26)

• Current Silicon Valley Church in Mountain View will host special activities
• Grace Bible Church of Redwood City will host a sunrise service at 6:30am at Canada College.
• Peninsula Covenant Church in Redwood City will host egg hunts for toddlers-5th grade.

Day of AI: Python and Computer Vision

Today, we collaborated again with Together We AI to host webinars on AI. 

The first webinar was on Python, where we learned machine learning as well as beginning Python syntax, before writing a simple number guessing game. For students interested in learning more about Python, our presenter recommends Codecademy - free and paid tutorials are available.

 In a second session, we learned about neural networks, the concepts behind computer vision. At the end of the session, students trained an image classifier without learning code. 

A nice thing about Teachable Machine, the site used in today's webinar, is that it does not upload any of the samples/training data - everything is kept in browser, and nothing is saved.   That is good to know if your student wants to train some models for personal projects.  For students wanting to go further and code using the models they trained, the presenter recommended CoLab. 

We want to thank Together We AI for continuing to expand AI education freely, including to our homeschooling group. We encourage those interested to follow Together We AI - they post about new webinars on their site, and they are also working on an AI curriculum which can be accessed after filling in this form.

Greater Farallones Visitor Center

 

Credit: Justin Holl/NOAA

Where: 991 Marine Drive, San Francisco, CA 94129

When : School year, by arrangement

Who   : Grades K-12 (although it will be easier if ages are close together). Max 34 students.

Cost   : $250/class, as of Jan 2026

Note: The parking may be confusing - to get to the visitor center, we had to drive down a road that was marked "authorized vehicles only". 

We booked this field trip at the beginning of the school year, when the Farallones Visitor Center had just re-opened. At the time of booking, it was recommended to reserve a spring trip (January or later) if our group would include younger students (2nd grade and below). 

The docents were very responsive, and when we inquired about a mixed age group like ours, were quick to suggest a combination of activities which were all a hit. 

a squid dissection, and an exploration of the beach. At the last minute, they added plankton viewing through the microscope, which was a wonderful bonus. 

 

Looking at plankton: Students plankton through their microscope and learned about phytoplankton and zooplankton.One student was overjoyed to learn what she had always suspected: that a little creature lives in a sand dollar.

Squid dissection was also amazing! Students took out the squids' beaks, hearts and ink sacs. They learned how to distinguish between male and female squid. They also wrote using the squid pen and its ink. One especially memorable fact was how a squid squirt ink at its enemies to evade its enemies.

Bird watching at the beach, the group learned about sea gulls' migration pattern in the Bay Area (including loving to eat KFC!). They even got to see a red-footed booby and surf scoter duck! 

In the words of a group member, "I've been to many field trips, this is by far the best one, with great materials presented to the students, hands on exploration on plankton & squid dissection, and an amazing view of the ocean & Golden Gate bridge!"

San Mateo County Parks Online Classroom Program - Food Web (Owl Pellet dissection)

 

Where: Online 

When : School year, by arrangement

Who   : Grades 2-5

Cost   : Free

This was a hidden gem - we found out that San Mateo County Parks hosts free online lessons on a variety of topics, and requested them to teach one on Food Webs. We scheduled a couple of months in advance - that gave us enough time to gather a group, and work out logistics (e.g. if families wanted to meet at the library to do the class together). A bonus we were not expecting: the lesson includes an owl pellet dissection along with a worksheet, and these were provided for free - the ranger dropped them off a week before. 

On the day of the lesson, we logged on to the Zoom link. Ranger Lauren started off with a question, "Why do we eat?" and that got a lot of chatter. She then moved us to the idea of food as energy, and introduced food chains and food webs.

She also introduced terms like producer, consumer and decomposer, as well as herbivore, carnivore and omnivore. We appreciated that the slides used pictures of local animals, e.g. the Mission Blue Butterfly, which helped us appreciate the diversity of wildlife in our area. The first half of the worksheet came in handy - we drew various food chains and connected them into a food web. 

We then talked about owls - how they don't have teeth, but prey is swallowed whole and the parts which cannot be digested (e.g. bones, feathers) are regurgitated into a package (the "owl pellet"). The pellets we used are sanitized, and can be handled safely. The ranger showed us this video of an owl regurgitating:

After that, it was time for the hands-on activity. Students were eager to take apart the owl pellet (tip: use fingers to gently separate the pellet, tools might break the parts within) and for 10+ minutes worked with intense focus.

The lesson ended with a Q&A, and one of the students had a question which ranger Lauren couldn't answer on the spot, but to her credit, she sent out an email the next day with the answer.

Q: Are owls the only birds which regurgitate pellets?  

A: It turns out many bird species regurgitate pellets! Some are found more frequently because they are denser/sturdier in structure such as owl pellets or pellets from raven or birds of prey (such a hawk or a peregrine). If they google bird pellet they will find MANY types of birds that regurgitate pellets.

We are thankful to San Mateo County Parks for hosting this lesson, and for giving us a renewed appreciation of the complexity of nature around us!

Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.